INDIANA, Pa. - The 23rd-ranked Crimson Hawks return home to host a top-25 battle with rival and 5th-ranked Cal U in the 12th annual Coal Bowl this Saturday. Kickoff from Frank Cignetti Field @ George P. Miller Stadium is scheduled for 2 p.m. 

The rivalry game brings together the top two teams in the PSAC West standings with IUP at 5-1 and 4-0 and the Vulcans at 6-0 and 3-0. IUP continues its upward trend and is coming off a resounding 48-21 road victory over #6 Slippery Rock last week. QB Harry Woodbery tied the school record with 5 touchdowns while the IUP defense forced The Rock into 4 turnovers.

Cal U enters after an unplanned bye week with its game against Clarion canceled due to COVID protocols. The undefeated Vulcans defeated Gannon 38-17 two weeks ago in Erie and own a +22 scoring margin average in their three divisional games. 

QUICK NOTES / STORYLINES
• This marks the 12th meeting between IUP and Cal U in the Coal Bowl series, with the Vulcans leading 7-4. The Crimson Hawks are 4-0 against Cal U at home since 2013 with an average score of 20.8-9.5.
• The home teams have won the Coal Pail Trophy each year since 2012. 
• Since 2005 the Vulcans have had the upper hand with an 11-5 record against the Crimson Hawks including playoffs. 
• This is the fifth time since 2012 that both teams enter this meeting ranked in the top-25. 
• IUP is 13-2 in October games under HC Paul Tortorella since 2017. Both of those losses came to Slippery Rock (2018, 2019).
• Last week's win gave IUP a 22-3 record against PSAC West foes under Tortorella. Those losses - Slippery Rock and Cal in 2018, Slippery Rock in 2019.
• IUP is scoring 45.5 points against PSAC West opponents and is averaging 469.0 yards of total offense the last two weeks. The Hawks averaged 334 yards in their first four games. 
• Gr. QB Harry Woodbery tied the IUP single game record with 5 TD passes last week at #6 Slippery Rock. In four games this year he's totaled 16 touchdowns - 14 pass, 2 rush - has a 65.5 completion pct. and is the 2nd rated QB in the PSAC at 177.6. 
• The Cal U defense is arguably the best in Division II, ranking 1st in total defense (162.3), 2nd in points allowed (7.2), and 3rd in rushing (54.3). The Vulcans also average 3.5 sacks per game and have returned 3 of their 8 interceptions for TDs. 
• The IUP offense will be the biggest challenge of the year for Cal U. The Vulcans six previous opponents are averaging 18.0 points and 274 yards of total offense per game. 
• The Crimson Hawks are 4th in Division II with a +2.00 turnover margin per game (+12 on the year). IUP has forced 14 turnovers - 4 fumbles and 10 interceptions - an average of 2.3 per game. 
• Cal U QB Noah Mitchell is 5th in DII with a 69.0 completion pct. and 9th with 314.2 passing yards per game. He has five 300-yard passing games, going 35-53 for 382 and 4 TDs against Gannon.


NOTEBOOK

HAWKS LOOK TO CONTINUE OCTOBER HOT STREAK
The Crimson Hawks responded well from their early-season loss to No. 11 Shepherd, winning four straight including three in October. In four seasons under HC Paul Tortorella, IUP is 13-2 in the month of October with those only losses coming to Slippery Rock (2018, 2019). This year, IUP is averaging better than 449 yards and nearly 45 points in three October wins. 

COACH TORTORELLA THROUGH 40 GAMES
The Mercyhurst game three weeks ago marked Coach Tortorella's 40th game as head coach of the Crimson Hawks. Now with 43 games under his belt, Tortorella owns a record of 36-7 (.837), including a 22-3 (.880) mark against PSAC West schools. He reached 30 wins faster than any other IUP coach (35 games), and has two NCAA playoff berths (2017, 2019), division, PSAC, and regional titles (2017), and a 6-3 record against top-25 opponents. 

IUP AND CAL U BATTLE IN 12TH ANNUAL COAL BOWL
After a year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Coal Bowl returns in 2021 with the 12th installment. Since the start of this trophy game in 2009, the Vulcans hold the upper hand with seven wins in the previous 11 games, including a four-game win streak from 2009-12. IUP has won four of the last seven - all at home. See page 5 of the game notes for more series information.

CRIMSON HAWKS RETURN TO THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
After two weeks on the outside, the Crimson Hawks returned to both the AFCA Coaches' and D2Football.com Media Top 25 polls this week. IUP moved up to No. 23 in the coaches rankings and sit in the similar spot of No. 24 in the media poll. Dating back to 2016, IUP has been nationally-ranked in 53 of 59 possible national ranking releases, including 36 straight weeks from 2016-18.

CRIMSON HAWKS SWEPT PSAC WEEKLY AWARDS
For the first time, IUP swept all three PSAC weekly award winners after last week's 48-21 blowout win over #6 Slippery Rock on the road. Gr. QB Harry Woodbery (offensive), Fr. FS Charles Ingram (defensive) and Jr. WR/RS Qashah Carter (specialist) helped IUP roll up 48 points, force 4 turnovers, and win special teams in the rivalry victory.

WOODBERY COMING OFF RECORD PERFORMANCE
Gr. QB Harry Woodbery tied the IUP single game record with 5 touchdown passes in last week's win at Slippery Rock. It tied the mark originally set by Brian Eyerman, who threw for 5 scores in a win over Edinboro during the 2002 season. 

WOODBERY *RANKED AMONG BEST QUARTERBACKS IN DIVISION II
Woodbery has made his presence felt, totaling 16 touchdowns in four starts - all IUP wins. The grad transfer has two 5-touchdown performances, including last week at SRU (all pass) and in his crimson & gray debut at Mercyhurst (4 pass, 1 rush). He has a 177.57 pass efficiency rating, which ranks 2nd in the PSAC and would rank 4th in Division II if he played in enough games to qualify nationally. His 65.5 completion percentage would also rank 13th in the country.  

BROWN HAS FOUR 100-YARD GAMES, LOOKS FOR REPEAT CAL U PERFORMANCE
Jr. WR Duane Brown leads the PSAC and ranks 11th in Division II with 109.4 yards receiving in his five games played. His 6.6 receptions per game leads the conference while his 33 catches rank 6th overall. He has four 100-yard receiving games this year, including each of the last three weeks where he's totaled 22 receptions for 374 yards and 3 touchdowns. In the 2019 Coal Bowl, Brown caught 4 passes for 126 yards and 2 TDs, earning PSAC West Offensive Athlete of the Week honors. 

IUP OFFENSE SPREADING THE WEALTH IN PASS GAME
Through six games this season, 12 different IUP receivers have caught at least 1 pass while seven players have at least 1 receiving touchdown. The receiving corps are highlighted by Jr. WR Duane Brown and Sr. WR Irvin Charles, who have combined for 59 catches, 943 yards, and 12 TDs. The duo has five 100-yard games between them and have accounted for the nine longest IUP pass plays this season. 

EVANS AMONG iUP's TOP-10 IN CAREER RUSHING YARDS
Sr. RB Justice Evans entered IUP's career top-10 in rushing with 2,661 yards. He burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2017 with 1,011 yards and led the Hawks in rushing in 2018 with 741 yards. This year he is 2nd on the team with 218 yards on 53 carries and is just 126 away from tying Lenny Williams (2015-18) for 6th all-time with 2,787 yards. His career 5.9 yards per carry is behind only James Suber (1995-96) and Samir Bullock's (2016-19) 6.0 average among IUP players with more than 2,000 yards. 

TRIO OF BACKS SHARING THE LOAD IN THE RUN GAME
The Crimson Hawks consistently have a deep running back group and this year is no exception. Three players have shared the workload, as Srs. Malik Anderson and Justice Evans, and Fr. Dayjure Stewart each have 50+ carries and 218+ yards. All three have led the team in rushing at least once, with Stewart posting a team-high 98 yards in the win over Mercyhurst. 

CRIMSON HAWKS AMONG BEST IN NATION IN TURNOVER MARGIN, FORCING TOs
IUP leads the PSAC and ranks 4th in Division II with a +2.00 turnover margin per game - or +12 for the season. The Hawks are the only team in the nation to turn the ball over just twice all year while their 14 turnovers forced ranks 2nd in the PSAC despite playing one less game. IUP's 10 interceptions are tied for 1st in the PSAC and 11th in Division II and have come from are tied for 3rd in the PSAC and have come from seven different players. Sr. CB Bryce Howard, Fr. FS Charles Ingram, and Fr. SS Jaheim Howard each have a team-best 2 picks. 

CRIMSON HAWKS ARE 23-1 SINCE 2011 WHEN THE DEFENSE SCORES
Jr. DT Raunya Mitchell scored the defense's first touchdown of the season when he picked off a tipped pass and rumbled 21 yards for a score in the season-opening win over Kutztown. The Crimson Hawks have 28 defensive touchdowns since 2011 and boast a 23-1 record since then when the defense scores.

CRIMSON HAWKS HAVE 'SPECIAL' TEAMS
IUP puts emphasis on its special teams units and it has shown in 2021 as the Hawks have excelled in the kicking game and on returns. Soph. P Dylan Grubbs is among the national leaders with a 41.0 punting average while IUP's 37.04 net punting is in the top-25 of Division II. Fr. PK Tyler Luther has been accurate in his first year, making 28-29 PATs and 4-4 FGs. On returns, Duane Brown has helped IUP average a PSAC-best 15.0 yards on punt returns while Malik Anderson, Qashah Carter and Nazir Streater combine to average 26.5 yards on kickoff returns, 3rd in the PSAC.